The development of COVID-19 vaccines has brought considerable hope for the control of the pandemic. With a view to promoting good vaccine coverage, this study aimed to measure vaccine intention against COVID-19 and to understand the factors that promote it.
In April 2021, we conducted a cross-sectional and analytical study at the national level through a telephone survey of Beninese aged 18 years or older. We used a marginal quota sampling method (n=865) according to age, gender, and department. We constructed the questionnaire using a theoretical framework of health intention. We determined the factors associated with intention to vaccinate against COVID-19 in Benin using a multinomial logistic regression at the 5% significance level.
The intention to vaccinate was 64.7%; 10.9% of the population were hesitant, and 24.4% did not want to vaccinate. Thinking that it was important to get vaccinated (AOR=0.274; CI=0.118-0.638) or that getting vaccinated will help protect loved ones from the virus (AOR=0.399; CI=0.205-0.775) increased the intention to vaccinate. Having a high level of education (AOR=1.988; CI=1.134-3.484), thinking that the vaccine could put one's health at risk (AOR=2.259; CI=1.114-4.578), and hearing something negative about the vaccine (AOR=1.765; CI=1.059-2.941) reduced intention to vaccinate. In addition, believing that the creators of the vaccine had ensured its safety (AOR=0.209; CI=0.101-0.430), and believing that it was unlikely to be infected after vaccination (AOR=0.359; CI=0.183-0.703) decreased hesitancy in favour of the intention to vaccinate.